Murder Mystery Musical

“A new comedy from the writer of the West End hit Lord of the Rings” is one of the more curious promotional lines on the Fringe, but closer inspection reveals that the creative team behind this very well executed chamber musical have a very impressive joint CV that extends far beyond Middle Earth.

Their combined talents result in a show with terrific tunes, sharp lyrical barbs and a pace so galloping that characters have a tendency to die minutes after the end of their solos.

The plot sees acquaintances of a late music mogul and TV talent judge known as Mr Mean gather on an island to scatter his ashes, only to find themselves marooned – with a killer in their midst. Sound familiar? The affectionate tribute to Agatha Christie extends to the inclusion of a Belgian private detective with a famous grandfather and a distinct shortage of little grey cells.

Refreshingly, every lyric is delivered with crystal clarity by a very talented (and very game) cast performing without microphones in front of a live band. Somewhat disturbingly, one of the men who shares responsibility for the show's innuendo-laden dialogue (Alister Cameron, collaborating with Shaun McKenna) was the lyricist for Play School and Fingermouse. They perhaps chose the right line for the posters after all.

A version of this review first appeared in The Herald.